


stained in rust and feathers

by TrainRush



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [13]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bruises, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Post-Canon, now you may be wondering how i wormed in a fluff fic in febuwhump. well (runs away)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29392752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrainRush/pseuds/TrainRush
Summary: DAY 13: hiding injuryDJ Grooves isn’t very good at lying.—(or, alternatively, the Conductor and DJ Grooves cuddle on a sleepy winter night.)
Relationships: The Conductor/DJ Grooves (A Hat in Time)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105115
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	stained in rust and feathers

It was a cold winter night on the Conductor’s train. The wind outside hissed and blowed, the sand from the desert lifting up with it. Inside the train it was chilly, the cold air filling every cabin and car. Even despite the cold weather, the Conductor and DJ Grooves stayed warm, cuddling together in the former’s bedroom. The two snuggled together under multiple layers of blankets, secure in each others’ arms as they watched an old movie. DJ Grooves sat at the Conductor’s right, his arm stretched around the other who snuggled up against his chest.

The Conductor huffed. “This movie is so bad,” he yawned. “Bland storyline. So uninspired.”

DJ Grooves laughed, not taking his gaze from the television. “But it’s cute, isn’t it?”

“Cute?” the Conductor might have been half offended, had he not been so tired. Grooves glanced down at him and smiled. “I can barely even stand any of the dialogue!” He paused, letting the main character say something before groaning to prove his point. Grooves could easily tell he wasn’t entirely serious though.

He considered for a moment, coming up with a response before speaking. “You’re right, darling.” Grooves pulled the Conductor closer, gently planting a kiss to his forehead. “Nothing tops your movies, after all.”

The Conductor blushed and looked away. “Well…”

He smiled, reaching out to hold the Conductor’s hand. The latter didn’t look back at him as he gently took hold, but Grooves noticed that he blushed harder. At the reaction, he nearly giggled. How was it possible for one bird to be so cute?

The two birds continued to watch the movie in silence for a bit, though neither were entirely focused on it anymore. As time passed, the temperature outside continued to decrease, and the chill inside the train became colder and colder. Frost flickered on the windows of the cabin and the hiss of the wind acted as a bit of static background noise. Eventually, the Conductor began to shiver at the cold, scooting closer to DJ Grooves for warmth. Grooves gently squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“Are you cold, darling?” he asked, though both of them already knew the answer. The Conductor nodded somewhat stiffly, snuggling even closer. His feathers were fluffed up tall, making him look almost like a pure ball of feathers.

Grooves thought for a second on how he could help before momentarily pulling away from the Conductor, who reacted with surprise. Careful not to hit him, Grooves took off his red coat and wrapped it around his lover. Once he made sure that it was secure, he returned into the embrace, holding the Conductor close once again. “Is that better?”

Once he had snuggled back into the position he once was in, the Conductor nodded, but he still stared at DJ Grooves in concern. “Won’t you get cold? I wouldn’t want you getting cold.”

Grooves shook his head. “I’m a Moon Penguin, darling. We have a resistance to cold that you don’t have. What you  _ do  _ have is a resistance to heat, which we don’t have, but it’s not summertime, is it?”

“True.” The Conductor grumbled a bit about Grooves being “lucky” before he returned his attention to the screen, resting his head on the other’s shoulder.

Again, the two were left in silence until the Conductor extended his left hand to hold Grooves’s right just as they had before. The latter calmly and happily accepted the silent request, and the two became even closer. DJ Grooves had just closed his eyes, almost beginning to doze off in the comfort of their cuddling, when the Conductor quietly spoke.

“Grooves?”

His voice was soft and fragile, a tone that he only ever used when something was seriously concerning him. When DJ Grooves looked down at the other, the first thing that he noticed was how his ears had flattened against his head. Anger? No, maybe fear? What was he afraid of? 

He tilted his head to the side. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“No— I mean—”

Now DJ Grooves followed his gaze, which somehow led to his arm, of all places. Confused, he narrowed his eyes—

Then he remembered.

Cold fear replaced where warm happiness had once been in his heart. Almost immediately, he looked away, perhaps in shame. As the realization settled, he felt his heart sink into his stomach even more. Not now. Not tonight, he thought. Grooves bit back a bit of sickness. The Conductor had most likely noticed the deep black and blue bruises that had formed underneath his feathers.

“Are— you okay?” The Conductor said, cutting himself off immediately as he spoke his last word, as though he wasn’t sure it was what he had wanted to say.

In an attempt to recover the situation, Grooves nodded. “Of course. Just accidents around the studio, you know? Happens all the time.” DJ Grooves offered a bit of stale laughter, though he knew it wasn’t convincing.

Again, the two were left in silence, but this time around, the calm atmosphere had been completely replaced by nervous tension. The Conductor, thinking of something to say; Grooves, anxiously waiting for a response. 

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the Conductor spoke.

“I don’t think you’ve ever gotten away with lying to me in your life, Grooves.”

“...Me neither.”

The response had hit him like a ton of bricks, but he didn’t know what else to reply. What could he even say at this point? What at all, other than perhaps a confession to the bitter truth?

The sound of the movie droned on in the background.

Of course he wouldn’t have gotten away with it. Those bruises didn’t look like accidents. Not at all. Not even  _ close.  _ Not with how deep in color they were. Not with how close together they had formed. And of course, not with how he’d reacted.

“Is…” The Conductor spoke hesitantly, as though choosing his words wisely. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Grooves blinked, surprised by that reaction. At the same time, though, he just felt relieved that the other hadn’t reacted harshly. “No,” he muttered. “Not really. It’s just… work.”

“I can take over some of your work, if you need me to.” The Conductor offered him a small smile. “It wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want you overworking yourself either, Conductor.”

The Conductor's smile immediately faded, the stark realization of what he had meant crossing his face instead. He nodded, understanding.

“Maybe we both need a break,” he suggested, looking up at Grooves. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“Definitely.”

Silence.

“D’you think we could arrange that?” the Conductor said, apparently thinking out loud. “It couldn’t possibly be that hard, right? They can function without us… right?”

Grooves almost laughed, yet the more he thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. Man, he really  _ did  _ need a break. A little bit of vacation time to clear his mind. Maybe he could go with the Conductor, and the two of them could spend some time together away from the studio.

“I doubt they could function with  _ both  _ of us gone, but I suppose we’ve never tried it before, have we?” DJ Grooves was confident, but he didn’t want to risk it, either.

“You’ve got a point there.” The Conductor’s face lit up. “Y’know what? I think I’m going to talk to one of my advisors about getting us some vacation time.”

Grooves smiled. “Well, let me know how it goes, okay? I’d love to hear.”

The Conductor briefly nodded before snuggling in closer to Grooves, who pulled him closer.

The two stayed there for a while, and eventually the credits of the movie they were watching began to roll. The two birds fell sleepy cuddled against each other, and soon enough the only sound in the room was their soft breathing.

“Grooves?”

The soft voice was from the Conductor, drowsy.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

DJ Grooves smiled, chuckling faintly.

“I love you too.”


End file.
